College Football Rankings 2024: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for next season
- Michigan not in the Top 5 after national championship
- Trio of SEC powers vie for Top 3 in the rankings
- Oregon, Ole Miss look to crash the party in Top 10
College football rankings 2024, Early Top 25 projections: No. 15-11
15. Florida State Seminoles (2023 Record: 13-1)
Perhaps the biggest shame about Florida State’s now-infamous College Football Playoff snub is that was the program’s best window, at least for now. D.J. Uiagalaleli will come into the fold to try and keep the ship steady in Tallahassee and the wide receiver corps is still rich with talent. Mike Norvell also has another strong portal class to lean on. Still, it’s likely a step back for the Seminoles, though they can still compete to win the ACC, without question.
14. Clemson Tigers (2023 Record: 9-4)
We’ll find out a lot about Clemson in its season-opener against Georgia in 2024. But no matter what happens there, the Tigers have to feel pretty solid about what they have coming into next year. Cade Klubnik made strides as the season went on and we saw Garrett Riley’s offense take more of a shape. The defense has rarely been in doubt, but if the offense keeps improving, Clemson could make a strong run in the ACC.
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (2023 Record: 10-3)
There wasn’t a team in college football that made me eat more crow this past year than the Penn State Nittany Lions. Drew Allar fell well short of expectations as he under-performed relative to them, though the defense was spectacular. We should still see plenty of firepower from the defense, but the hope is that Allar can be unlocked with the addition of former OSU receiver Julian Fleming and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, previously at Kansas.
12. Tennessee Volunteers (2023 Record: 9-4)
Not that you needed to be told this given that the Vols are at No. 12, but I’m all-aboard the Nico Iamaleava hype train. This kid checked all of the boxes in beating Iowa, a tough defense, in his first college start. Now he gets more weaponry around him with Bru McCoy returning and Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II incoming. If the defense can maintain its performance after showing improvement from 2022 to 2023, Tennessee is going to be a real sleeper in 2024.
11. Arizona Wildcats (2023 Record: 10-3)
The returns of quarterback Noah Fifita, who was a revelation in the 2023 season once he got his shot, and receiver Tetairoa McMillan should be quite enough to keep Arizona on the come-up offensively. But Jedd Fisch’s team ended 2023 as one of the hottest teams in college football in large part due to their defensive play. Returning a ton of key starters could make the Wildcats the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 in their first year in the new league.